Suwar Magazine wins second place in Migration Media Award 2018
Suwar team
As part of the second edition of the Migration Media Award 2018, Suwar Magazine has been awarded with second place for an investigative report written by journalist Thamer Karkot, with the title Syrian refugees coerced to return.
The Migration Media Award is a press competition financed by the European Union which brings together four partners on the basis of the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) initiative.
The EuroMed Migration4 and Open Media Hub projects, which are funded by the European Union, developed the program in partnership with the European Refugee Support Office and the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
An international jury of 14 senior professional journalists evaluated more than 200 participants, and Suwar Magazine won second place in the print media category. The awards were distributed at a ceremony on 18 September in Carthage under the patronage of the Tunisian government, where 41 journalists from 18 countries were rewarded for their journalistic excellence on migration in the Euro-Mediterranean region.
Tamer Karkot, the journalist who wrote the winning piece, stated:
“The investigation delves into the positions and situations of some European countries that have hosted the Syrian refugees, and observes the changing position of some of these countries, as well as the change in the mood from welcoming refugees to rejecting them. The report revealed emerging positions on the issue of Syrian refugees in Europe and other countries, in addition to the position of international law on this issue, and the transformation of the case of refugees from a purely humanitarian issue to a political one that is disputed by political, electoral and partisan actors. It stresses the positions of some European humanitarian organizations that have warned of the dangers of coercing the refugees to return to their homes, without ensuring the necessary conditions to their security, safety and their lives.”
Karkot emphasized the importance of the award, as it addresses a humanitarian and international issue, as well as the need to highlight the suffering of refugees in the host countries and the challenges facing them, which makes a basis for an upcoming cooperation between Suwar Magazine, and the Open Media Hub to produce an investigation in this regard.
The award is a collaboration between the European Neighbourhood Policy And Enlargement Negotiations, which funds the EUROMED Migration IV which is implemented by the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), and the Open Media Hub Which is led by the Thomson Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion of Malta, and the EUROPEAN ASYLUM SUPPORT OFFICE.
Suwar Magazine Editor-in-Chief Kamal Oskan commented on the award saying, “The issue of the Syrian refugees is one of the most complex humanitarian issues that have occupied an important place in the political debates in Europe and the countries of the region and received special attention in the media, and in its turn Suwar Magazine worked on this file during the years of the Syrian war. Winning this award in the Immigration Media contest is an appreciation of the great effort exerted by the journalist and the editorial team.”
Oskan pointed out that this achievement will open the horizons of cooperation between the Magazine and the Open Media Hub and all partners in this area to complete another project in the same context, especially as the issue of refugees requires further cooperation.
Suwar Magazine, which is published by the Center for Civil Society and Democracy (CCSD), is one of the Syrian publications that appeared after the Syrian revolution on August 15, 2013 as a monthly printed magazine dealing with civil affairs, freedom of expression and human rights.
It is concerned with local Syrian issues in an attempt to provide the public with a deep knowledge of the reality for Syrians, through a professional approach. Suwar Magazine encourages investigative journalism to convey reality and to reveal human rights violations.
You can read the investigation by clicking this link:
http://suwar-magazine.org/details/Syrian-refugees-coerced-to-return/1182/en
links related to the award:
https://openmediahub.com/ar/access-stories/syrian-refugees-return-is-compulsory/
https://twitter.com/OPENMediaHubAr/status/1042129274998849542